


Golden

by allbluemarauder



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, This Is Sad, iM SORRY!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 15:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12915183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allbluemarauder/pseuds/allbluemarauder
Summary: Sanji never imagined what would happen if they actually found the All Blue. Now he has a very difficult decision to make.





	Golden

When they finally find it, it's so unexpected and random that it's almost annoying.

Sanji is sleeping peacefully in the bunkroom, having some kind of weird dream where Usopp's nose is normal. Suddenly he hears Nami's sweet voice, carrying out over the rush of waves against the wooden boards, calling his name.

It's a wonderful, wonderful dream, to think Nami-swan is calling his name so urgently - Sanji is ready to offer his help in any way possible-

When her voice suddenly is right in his ear, and he's forcefully shaken out of sleep.

Sanji blinks a few times, staring up at Nami's face in the darkness with hope running through him and making his heart beat twice as fast. He's just about to tell her that she didn't have to wake him up in the middle of the night just to confess her feelings to him, when he notices the look on her face. She looks like Christmas came early, Zoro paid back all his debt and she won a trillion beli - all at once.

It's actually a bit unsettling (not that that has anything to do with his precious angel Nami), only because he didn't think he'd see that look unless those things actually happened.

"Sanji," she says breathily, the insanely huge grin staying on her face. She laughs and Sanji can't even fathom how happy she looks, her energy rubbing off on him.

"Nami-swan?" he asks unsurely, a smile on his lips.

"You..." Nami shakes her head, grinning from ear to ear. "You have to see this."

So, he lets himself be dragged out of bed, and is only a tiny bit embarrassed by the fish pattern on his pajama pants. Nami has caused quite the commotion in her attempt to wake Sanji up, so as they go upstairs the sound of sleepy pirates waking up fill the ship.

Nami looks at him with glittering eyes before pushing the door to the deck open, revealing a sky turning from night to day and a calm ocean. For some reason Sanji feels goosebumps travel all over his skin.

"Look," Nami urges, pulling him to the railing.

Sanji peers over the edge and into the sea, while the rest of the crew stumble sleepily out on deck.

It can't be.

He blinks, hard, and looks again, recognizing the silvery shimmer of a kind of fish that he used to catch back in North Blue. But, right behind the school of North Blue fish, are some that he distinctly remembers seeing in East Blue while working on the Baratie.

It simply can't be.

He's clutching the rail so hard his knuckles are white, Nami stands beside him grinning and somewhere Luffy sleepily asks "What are you guys doing?"

Sanji wonders if he might be having a very complicated dream.

He turns, looks at Nami, and she nods her head. "I'm sure of it, Sanji."

"All Blue," Sanji whispers, and has to hold on to the rail for support, peering down in the water again to see a rare South Blue species of bronze colored cod jump the surface.

They've done it.

After five years they have found the All Blue.

  
Sanji doesn't know what he thought it would feel like. Some part deep inside of him never actually thought he would find it, so he never fully prepared, and at the very least he thought it would take more effort than this.

He never thought the fucking All Blue would just appear out of nowhere, in a particularly uninteresting part of the Grand Line where they, on a complete whim, decided to take a detour to a smaller island.

All Blue.

The words taste funny in his mouth now that he knows they're real, and after half an hour of screaming his head off and jumping around with the crew, he's still standing out on deck, clutching the wooden rails as he stares into the, actually, very blue sea.

They'd all looked so happy, even Zoro, grinning at him from behind the crowd in a silent but equally valuable "congratulations" - if not even more valuable than the others'.

And that was where things started getting difficult, because Sanji hadn't thought this part through. He'd always figured that if he someday ended up finding the All Blue, he'd find a way to contact the old man and the Baratie, give them the coordinates or whatever and then they'd move the entire restaurant there and live happily ever after.

But Sanji has a family now, a different one.

It seems that the rest of the crew has decided to leave him to stare at the ocean in peace, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper fishing eagerly on the back of the deck, Robin studying their catches and Nami intensely busy in trying to map the ocean. Zoro is meditating on the top deck, facing the rail in the same direction as Sanji's standing, while the rest of the crew are walking around admiring the view.  
"Party tonight!" Luffy shouts, flying past Sanji and making his blond hair whip his face. "To celebrate finding the greatest ocean in the world after all of Sanji's efforts!"

Sanji stares down at the blue surface and feels like his heart has dropped a heavy anchor inside of him.

He spends the afternoon alternating between making truly amazing dishes out of all the different fish the boys have caught, and slowly putting his stuff into a very dusty suitcase that he found on top of his dresser. He hasn't even looked at it since he brought it on board, perhaps he didn't think he'd need it in the near future. He's got quite a lot more in his possession now than he had when he first came, but all his suits fit nicely in the suitcase along with his custom shoes and all his different ties. Treasure and gold is shared within the crew, and he doesn't really want his part. He wants them to have it, they deserve it, and probably need it more than he's going to.

The rest of the crew are busy preparing for the big party, putting up decorations and lanterns, and Usopp's even making tables to put out on deck for the occasion.  
Zoro is the only one, as usual, who isn't all up in fireworks, and at one point he enters the galley just to stand there and pretend he's not looking at Sanji working. It pisses Sanji off after a while, but when he yells at him and makes him leave, he regrets it almost immediately.

He calls him back and has him stirring the red wine sauce, surprised at the swordsman's lack of stupid remarks and protests.

They make food in peace and Sanji keeps his head distracted with barking instructions at Zoro, and making some of the most advanced food he has ever made.

Got to go out with a bang, right?

He catches himself looking at Zoro chopping up celery, somehow comforted by the quiet rattling of the swordsman's golden earrings.

  


The party is spectacular.

Since it's in Sanji's honor, he is banned from doing any "hosting" activities and spends his evening happily being served his own food, and drinking a little too fast. Zoro is next to him as they're sitting in a circle on the deck, passing around a bottle of expensive sake as Usopp tells tall tales, and Luffy laughs so loud it can probably be heard back on the Baratie. Zoro naturally has his own bottle, and he seems strangely quiet, even being him.

"Hey, Moss-head," Sanji smiles after a few bottles, pleasantly buzzed, with his voice quiet as not to interrupt the conversation the others are having. "Have you lost your vocal chords in the open space where your brain should be?"

Zoro snorts and gives him an unimpressed look, golden eyes glinting in the light from the not-totally-safe-to-have-a-campfire-on-a-wooden-ship campfire.

"No, Shit-Cook," he answers slowly, eyes downcast to where Sanji's fingers curl around the sake bottle. "I..."

He kind of fades out and Sanji fears that the swordsman might actually get serious with him, and raises his eyebrows, until he suddenly starts talking again.

"I was distracted by your ridiculous eyebrow and your pathetic drinking."

Sanji cackles loudly because he can't be assed to get mad right now, he loves this, this thing they have so effortlessly, whatever it is.

"Cheers," he grins, making Zoro laugh too in his low, hoarse voice.

Nothing will ever be the same, Sanji thinks, downing the rest of the bottle in one go.

  
The party continues on until everyone has fallen asleep or passed out, and the next day it’s hard to get up.

But Sanji powers through the morning, and with a few painkillers from Chopper he's up and running. He enthusiastically joins the diving project that seems to be happening on deck. They decide smartly that the first one to dive into the All Blue shouldn't be one of the Hammers in case the diving equipment doesn't work right, and then they all think Sanji should go first anyway. Sanji would trust Usopp with his life at this point, so he isn't even worried when he steps into the very orange suit.

"Shouldn't this be blue?" Sanji asks, testing the oxygen flow.

Usopp laughs and tells him that Luffy broke the blue one trying to swim. Of course he did.

"So this is Usopp Diver 2.0! Now with gloves instead of mittens and a faint smell of lavender, for your pleasure."

Zoro watches him stalk around in the suit with an expression Sanji can't read. It's a strange mix between amusement and something else that doesn't quite fit into either Zoro's range of emotions or the setting.

Nope, this is not the time.

Sanji shakes it off and jumps into the blue, blue, blue water, and stops breathing for a little while because it's just so incredibly gorgeous. Then while he's admiring the fish, the whole crew, even the ladies, suddenly come jumping into the water all around him, the Hammers wearing ridiculous amounts of inflatable rings and diving masks.

Sanji realizes this was their plan all along, and they gave him the diving suit because he was the one who wanted this the most.

He loves them all so much it actually hurts, and he ends up watching his nakama instead of the fish, swimming around happily. Even Zoro is having a blast, sneaking up on Usopp and tickling the underside of his feet. His green hair looks strangely beautiful when it's all float-y and has the sun reflecting on it.

There is a moment when Zoro suddenly swims up from beneath Sanji, and stops right in front of the glass window in the suit. He looks at Sanji with his stupid golden eyes and his ridiculous green hair, just floating around for a while. His skin isn't any less tan under water and Sanji realizes how incredibly buff Zoro is now compared to a few years ago.

This spirals into a long chain of sentimental thoughts about how far they’ve all come, Luffy is the pirate king and Zoro is the greatest swordsman in the world. He thinks about all of his friends a couple of years ago compared to now, and shivers.  
Sanji would never be as strong as he is today if it hadn't been for the stupid moss-head caveman.

He owes a lot to Zoro so he just stares back at him, not folding under this weird calculating look he's is giving him, searching Sanji's eyes for something that Sanji himself doesn't know if he will find or not.  
Suddenly Zoro lifts his hand and knocks on the glass, making Sanji blink in surprise.

"What?" he mouths, but Zoro just smiles a tiny smile, before swimming off in a motion that is so fluent that Sanji just stares after him. Zoro moves like a merman and he doesn't even swim that much, life sure is unfair. Sanji can't believe he just spent like, half an hour looking at Zoro, when there are actual girls in bikinis swimming around him.

When they all eventually get out of the water, Luffy is looking at Sanji with one of those rare moments of seriousness on his face.

"You want to stay here, right?"

Sanji feels like a deer in the headlights because suddenly it's like everyone freezes, drops everything they're doing and the whole world holds its breath.

"I... have to," he answers quietly, and Luffy nods slowly, the straw hat casting a shadow over his eyes. A moment of realization passes through the group and Sanji can't look at their faces, knowing that they all just now came to the same conclusion he had when they first arrived at the All Blue.

"Sanji..." Chopper chokes, running over to him to clutch his leg, looking up at him with his huge, glistening eyes. And then after a moment, he is surrounded by the entire crew, all putting their arms around him in a huge hug. Sanji doesn't have to look to know that Zoro isn't in there, he's pretty sure the swordsman has known all along that when they reached the All Blue, it was time to leave Sanji behind. That's probably why Zoro has been acting so strange lately.

Even though they used to be rivals and not exactly the best of friends, Sanji can't help but feel that it's something more now, something deeper and stronger. They depend on each other to spar and train, blow off steam and become better fighters - but they also drink and laugh and maybe-

Maybe Zoro's the one who knows him best of all of them, and "nakama" isn't even sufficient to describe it anymore.

Sanji presses his eyes closed hard, hugs everyone back, pats Luffy's hat and wishes silently that reaching his highest goal in life didn't come at this absurd price.

Everyone's crying anyway so they probably won't see the single tear that silently escapes Sanji's eye. He can't cry in front of the ladies, he has to be strong, so it stops at that one tear even though he's screaming inside, spotting green hair being tousled by the summer breeze to the left in his vision.

Zoro's golden eyes meet his across the ship, and then Sanji starts crying so hard his legs give out.

On the third day after reaching the All Blue, Sanji is making breakfast in the galley as usual. Something feels very off. There's an unusual tension in the air, and somehow Sanji just knows that today is the day.

They're leaving.

He tries not to let it affect his cooking, thinking bravely that if this is going to be the Straw Hat Crew's last breakfast with him as their cook, then they're damn well going to remember it for the rest of their lives. He customizes it to each person; making Chopper French toast with a hint of cinnamon and sugar because he loves sweet things, Robin gets fried eggs with a spicy salad and homemade dressing. He marinates as much meat as they can afford for Luffy, and for Zoro he makes his most advanced sushi.

It takes him about two and a half hours but he times it just right, so everything is done exactly the minute he hears Luffy wake up in a mid-shout of "SANJI! WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST?"

Sanji grins as the galley door smashes open, and Luffy runs in and dumps down at his usual spot at the table. Soon after the rest of the crew follow in varying degrees of sleepiness, the swordsman as usual last through the door.

They don't know, Sanji thinks, looking at his crew yawning at the table, and chatting quietly.

The only one who seems different is Nami, for some reason, her eyes cast to the floor as she sits down.

"Nami-swan?" Sanji asks, unintentionally getting everyone's attention in the process.

She looks up at him like she didn't expect to be confronted so soon and sighs, bottom lip jutting out.

Sanji already knows what she's going to say before she says it, but fuck, it hurts like hell.

"The log pose..." she starts, eyes at the table. "If we don't leave tonight it's gonna change, which will throw us off course."

Now they all look horribly sad and it's breaking Sanji's heart. They know as well as him and Nami that they can't change course now, they've been on the same course for six years more or less, and changing it now would make everything they've done meaningless and completely in vain.

Sanji puts on his stern face and stares them down.

"No one's allowed to be sad yet," he declares, lighting up a cigarette as his hair falls down in front of his face. "Let's make today awesome, and then we can all be sad later on. No moping now!

They nod silently and Sanji grins. "I've made all your favorite breakfasts."

And even though Usopp and Chopper are choking down tears, moved by Sanji's efforts, and Robin looks more in thought than usual, they all still try to smile and joke, and Sanji's incredibly grateful for that. Luffy is still inhaling his meat like usual but somehow it looks like he's savoring it, and Sanji, vain as he might be, likes the thought of Luffy bragging to pirates across the seas about the cook he once had, who gave him the best meat in the universe.

Zoro is quiet and for once in the time Sanji has known him, he eats his food like a civilized human being. It's a bit scary, especially because he looks so concentrated - but it's also weirdly charming and Sanji wishes that he would stop at once.

Because Zoro probably has no idea how much harder he's making this, with his attempts at showing Sanji respect which, although belated, make his heart tear itself apart.

 

Franky has knocked together a small boat for him to stay in while they contact the Baratie, that has provisions to last for many months. Years, even. Sanji doubts it will take them that long because honestly, the people on the Baratie are some of the most vicious pirates he's met, and even though the Straw Hat's used six years to come here they've also taken a difficult course. With the right navigation, Sanji's sure they'll reach him in good time.

He carries the suitcase outside, thinking about what a great day it's been. They fished and dived again, he made some food that could go down in history, and they all drank and sang songs and played cards. With precision, he throws the suitcase down on the boat, which is just big enough that he has a small wheelhouse and a little space to sleep. They'll get along just fine, especially since he's not going anywhere, he's just staying put in one place until they find him.

The crew is waiting for him out on deck, giving him peace to say goodbye to the ship.

Sanji really loves this fucking ship. Not only is it an exquisite piece of craftsmanship, but he has so many memories embedded into the very walls of every room. He takes his time, going through each room and wills himself not to die of sadness.

The sun is setting in the horizon while Sanji is standing in the bunk room alone. He gives the room what is probably his last glance. The silent wooden walls, the gentle lull of the ocean, the worn hammocks and the way each of them is personalized. Brook's is extra long, obviously, and high up in the air because he can reach that far, Usopp's is fluffy because he gets cold at night. Zoro's hammock is the plainest of them all, recognized only by the homemade peg put on the support beam next to it, to hold his swords while he's sleeping.

Sanji's hammock is black and empty and sad. He tosses a pack of cigarettes into it, he can't bear for it to look like no one ever slept there. Now he's sure that they'll at least not forget about him.

He moves through the library, Nami's office room, the aquarium, Franky's weapon development room, Usopp's main factory, the bathhouse, the infirmary - saving the galley for last, since the crow's nest is outside anyway.

Sanji can't compare the feeling to anything else he's felt, as he stands in the door to his kitchen. He loves everything in here so much, it's all so high quality and organized perfectly. He walks in and lets his fingers slide over the rack of knives on the wall, opening the cabinet where all the spices are just to smell it one last time. It's a bit much for him and if he doesn't get out right now, he knows he's never going to.

Out on deck, the crew has busied themselves while waiting. Nami's eyes are red and she's dabbing at her face with a handkerchief, Robin comforting her gently. Luffy, Franky and Brook are in the middle of a card game on the deck with a very somber tone to it, and Chopper and Usopp are clinging helplessly to one another, faces wet with tears.

Sanji silently goes to hug them, one at a time, starting from Nami who sobs into his shoulder. He moves his way through their little crew, and feels like he might not ever be happy after this.

"Luffy," he says, stepping into an embrace from his younger captain, who promptly stretches out his arms to wrap several times around Sanji. It makes him laugh and Luffy snickers in his ear. "Thanks."

"Sanji," Luffy says seriously, dark eyes boring into Sanji. "Thank you."

Now it's just a big cry fest and Sanji's eyes scan the deck for-

"He's up there," Robin says, with that knowing look in her eyes and a small smile tugging at her lips, pointing up to the crow's nest.

Sanji nods and climbs the ladder, jumping swiftly through the hatch and closing it behind him.

Zoro is standing by one of the circular windows, shadows covering his face.

Sanji doesn't know what he's doing at all, and he curses the tears that have started forming in his eyes.

Zoro's swords are hanging from his hips and his arms are loose at his sides, as he takes a step closer to the cook. the light hits him and Sanji looks into golden eyes that seem suspiciously wet.

Without a word they meet in the middle of the room, coincidentally on one of the blue mats they usually spar on.

"I'm..." Sanji tries, his voice betraying him. He doesn't know where to start. His eyes fall to Zoro's swords and his heart stops when he notices the blue fabric tied around Wadou's hilt.

It's one of his ties.

Tears start streaming down his face and suddenly Zoro clumsily crushes them together in a bruising hug, Sanji almost sobbing into the swordsman's shoulder. His hands clench into fists in Zoro's shirt on his back. Zoro's arms are strong and his body is warm against him, he smells like spice and steel and something resembling sunscreen, and suddenly Sanji realizes that the broken noises coming from the other is Zoro trying not to cry.

It makes everything a whole lot worse.

"Stupid... Idiot," Sanji chokes out, hitting Zoro's back lightly for good measure. "Dumbass..."

Zoro clears his throat and mumbles brokenly into Sanji's shoulder: "You know we're-"

His voice breaks and he clears his throat. "We're coming back? You know that, right?"

It sounds like he's saying it to convince himself just as much.

"Yeah," Sanji breathes, pulling back and watching Zoro wipe his eyes quickly.

He tries to get his breathing under control but it feels like he's under water, running out of oxygen. Zoro exhales shakily and Sanji never, ever wishes to see someone look at him like that again.

They climb down to the others, and Sanji says goodbye one last time. Zoro's just silently looking at him, eyes red, earrings rattling in the soft breeze.

Looking at his crew he once again notices the changes in everyone since they first met. Luffy actually looks like an adult, which Sanji never would have guessed was possible. He's taller and stronger and almost handsome in his own way. Usopp too looks nothing like the pubescent teen Sanji met at the Baratie, he looks normal except for his nose, like someone you absolutely could depend on and trust your life with. 

Zoro doesn't look like a nineteen year old anymore, he looks painfully beautiful, tan skin, strong jaw and intense eyes.

Sanji jumps down into his boat, which is now filled with flowers, and he feels himself tear up again.

"SANJI!" Luffy shouts, hanging on the railing and waving with his hat. "WE LOVE YOU!"

Sanji swallows and frees the boat from the ropes attaching it the ship, drifting a few meters away.

"I love you too! All of you!" He shouts, returning their waves and shouts of promise. As he drifts further and further away, he sees the tie around Zoro's sword waving him goodbye as well. The swordsman doesn't wave but tears are streaming slowly down his face and his eyes never leave Sanji.

It hits him like a fucking tsunami.

When he's so far away that he can't make out their faces anymore he understands something vital, something he should have known from the very minute he set his foot on their first ship.

He can't live without these people.

His destiny is to travel along with them, they’re his nakama, he can't just end it all like this, it's not up to him anymore, it should take a lot more than a magical sea and Sanji's own foolishness.

"WAIT!" he shouts, waving his arms more frantically, fear and desperation lacing his words.

"I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE! COME BACK!"

But it's too late, they're too far away to hear him and see that he's not waving for the reason they think, all they can do is wave back with just as much vigor.

Sanji is crying so hard it feels like his lungs are going to cave in.

"Wait."

When the ship disappears as a tiny dot in the horizon, Sanji is collapsed on deck, wishing he wasn't the world's biggest idiot and a little that he was dead.

The only thing he hears over the waves is the phantom sound of

three

golden earrings

colliding softly with each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm M, I'm totally new to this and I kind of have a love/hate relationship with One Piece. I LOVE the characters but at this point I might like my own versions of them better than the manga/anime. Sorry. I wrote this story a few years back, and I just read through it now and thought, what the hell. I'll post it. Anyway, that's it! Hope you don't hate me forever! No, but really, I hope this wasn't shit. 
> 
> I should mention two things: English is not my first language, so if something is weird grammatically, that's why. I hope it's fine though. Also, I don't have Microsoft Word anymore, and my substitute, Google Docs, doesn't always pick up on all my errors. Sorry in advance!  
> Thanks a bunch for reading! -M


End file.
